Planning Policy
Planning Policy / Planning / Ashford / Driveway or hard surface

Driveway or hard surface in Ashford

Do you need planning permission for a driveway in Ashford? Here is what the permitted development rules say, how Ashford Borough Council’s designations change them, and what decides an application, grounded in the official guidance and quoted verbatim.

Paved driveway and frontage of a residential house
Driveway: permeable surfaces changed the rules for front gardens
The short answer

Do you need planning permission for a driveway in Ashford?

Replacing a driveway is permitted development under Class F where the surface is porous, or where rainwater drains to a permeable area within the property rather than to the highway. Whether a driveway needs permission in Ashford still depends on your exact address and the designations on it.

1.0: The permitted development position

The starting point

Replacing a driveway is permitted development under Class F where the surface is porous, or where rainwater drains to a permeable area within the property rather than to the highway.

“This provides permitted development rights within the curtilage of a house for - (a) the provision of a hard surface for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such”PD technical guidance, Class F · full text in the library → · official source →
2.0: What changes it in Ashford

How Ashford’s designations apply

Designation in AshfordPublished
Conservation areas44
Article 4 directions (PD removed)75
Listed building outlines2,410

A non-permeable surface over five square metres draining to the road needs permission; a dropped kerb for vehicle access is a separate highways consent. Counts are read live from planning.data.gov.uk; your report checks them against your exact address.

3.0: How it’s decided

What Ashford weighs

A non-permeable surface over five square metres draining to the road needs permission; a dropped kerb for vehicle access is a separate highways consent.

Your report

Get a planning report for your Ashford address

A Planning Policy report reads the designations on your exact Ashford address, quotes the Ashford Borough Council and national policies that apply to a driveway, and (on Pro) shows decided applications nearby with outcomes.

5.0: Questions

Driveway or hard surface in Ashford, answered

Do I need planning permission for a driveway in Ashford?
Replacing a driveway is permitted development under Class F where the surface is porous, or where rainwater drains to a permeable area within the property rather than to the highway. Whether a driveway needs permission in Ashford still depends on your exact address and the designations on it.
Does a conservation area affect a driveway in Ashford?
It can. Even where the size limits are met, Ashford Borough Council assesses the appearance of a driveway against the character of a conservation area, and on a listed building separate consent is required.
How does Ashford decide a driveway or hard surface application?
A non-permeable surface over five square metres draining to the road needs permission; a dropped kerb for vehicle access is a separate highways consent. A Planning Policy report quotes the specific Ashford Borough Council Local Plan and national policies that apply, verbatim, and shows decided applications nearby.
6.0: More for Ashford

Other projects in Ashford